Gael Monfils vs Gilles Simon
13th February 18:30hrs
Tennis – Rotterdam – ATP
Pick Monfils 2-0
Bookmaker Marathonbet
Odds:21/20 odds taken 21:11 GMT Wednesday 12th February
It is an all-French battle in the round of sixteen in Rotterdam. Current world top-ten player Gael Monfils has enjoyed his appearance in Rotterdam last season. He will be looking to take a step closer towards a title defence by knocking out his competitor Gilles Simon.
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2019 Rotterdam Champion Monfils to march on
Gael Monfils claimed the 2019 Rotterdam title as he beat Stan Wawrinka in the final. In his previous entry into the main draw of the event, Monfils had also made it to the final (2016) but was beaten out by Martin Klizan. The current world number 9 is enjoying himself at the moment it would seem.
He was stopped in the round of sixteen at the Australian Open by eventual tournament runner-up Dominic Thiem, but Monfils found his winning touch on home soil in his next event.
Monfils won the title at the Open Sud de France on February 9th, so he is carrying momentum forward to Rotterdam. It’s usually worth watching for streaks like this in tennis betting.
The defending champion made a convincing start in Rotterdam as he eased past Joao Sousa 6-3, 6-2 to book this clash with Simon. It is worth noting perhaps that his win at the Sud de France Open on the weekend was his third title there.
So it does indicate that he likes certain events and his track record in Rotterdam is good. That is a W9 L2 match record from him this season. Monfils won 68% of service points in his opener of this tournament.
Can Simon stop Monfils?
35-year-old Simon is ranked 57th on the ATP currently. He has entered a lot of tournaments so far in 2020 and has yet to have any kind of success. He lost his one match at the ATP Cup and then bowed out in the first round of the Adeliae International.
Simon did get through to the second round at the Australian Open where he bowed out in a 3-1 set loss to Nick Kyrgios. Simon was then at the Open Sud de France tournament last week and lost in the first round.
Interestingly, two of his three match defeats outside of the ATP Cup, has happened against fellow Frenchmen.
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The head to head is very, very interesting, however. Simon leads it 7-2 and that is a massively convincing margin. However, they haven’t met since 2017 and they haven’t met indoors since 2015. So there’s not a lot to go by there.
From their three previous indoor hard court meetings, Simon is 2-1 ahead. The last match they had, which was at the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid in 2017 on clay, Simon took it on a tie break without conceding a point.
Gael Monfils vs Gilles Simon Betting Advice
The momentum is clearly with Monfils at the moment and he can be comfortably considered for a 2-0 set victory. Even after his long successful week at the Sud de France Open, Monfils looked fresh in his Rotterdam opener and is a good indoor player.
Key Facts – Gael Monfils vs Gilles Simon Betting Tip
- Gael Monfils won the Sud de France Open title on Sunday
- Gael Monfils is the reigning champion in Rotterdam
- Gilles Simon leads the head to head 7-2
Simon just hasn’t managed to find any form this season and he doesn’t look as if he has the defensive side of his game going to cause Monfils too many problems in this fixture. These two generally play out some long contests, but Mofils looks sharp enough to deliver without dropping a set.
The best betting odds for Gael Monfils vs Gilles Simon
Gael Monfils to win: 1/3 at Bet365
Gilles Simon: 9/4 at Bet365
